Land leveling machine



Sept. 2, 1941. R. BOWLIN LAND LEVELING MACHINE Filed March 17, 1941 45/57 7042 floss/e 7' 50 W4. 47 x7 7)? Patented Sept. 2, 1941 U-NETED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAND LEVELING MACHINE Robert Bowlin, Indio, Calif. Application March 17, 1941, Serial No. 383,708

5 Claims.

My invention relates to a land leveling machine and has for its principal object, the provision of a relatively simple, practical and inexpensive machine having a transversely disposed earth-engaging scraper blade that acts automatically as the machine moves forwardly, to level the surface of the ground over which the machine travelsby cutting off the high spots on the surface of the ground and pushing the volume of loose dirt forwardly until a low spot or depression in the surface of the ground is encountered, whereupon the scraper blade is elevated to permit the earth in front of said blade to discharge into and fill the low spot or depression.

A further object of my invention is, to provide a, land leveling machine of the character referred to having a scraper blade that is controlled in its operation by wheels carried by beams or arms that are pivoted on the main frame of the machine for vertical movement and which beams are connected to the scraping blade by flexible connections that may be adjusted so as to regulate the scraping action of said blade.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is atop plan view of a land leveling machine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embod ment of my invention, It, 16 designate the side rails of the main frame of the machine, the rear portions of which side rails are supported by wheels I! and the forward ends of said side rails are connected by inclined arms I2, the forward ends thereof being connected to each other and adapted to be connected to the tractor that is utilized in drawing the machine over the ground that is to be leveled.

The forward ends of arms l3 that are disposed below and substantially parallel with the forward portions of the rails ill of the main frame are pivotally connected for vertical swinging movement to brackets Hi that depend from the rails H], and the rear ends of these rails are directly connected to the end portions of a 55 the rear ends of the arms I3 transversely disposed earthsengaging. scraper blade l5.

Disposed adjacent and parallel with the intermediate portions of the side rails lil'of the main. frame and above the rear portions of the arms R3 are longitudinally disposed arms l6. Each arm i5 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends as designatedby IT tothe adjacent rail It.

of which passes through a bracket 2! that is securedto the rear, side of .blade I53 and mounted on this shank below the bracket is a nut 22 which may be manipulated to vary the tension of said spring I9.

Formed through the'rear'portions of the blade carrying arms I 3 are vertically disposed apertures 23 that are adapted to receive the lower headed end portions of bolts 24. These bolts extend upwardly through apertures 25 that are formed in the forward portions of the depth gauge arms l6 and mounted on the threaded upper end portions of said bolts and bearing on the upper faces of said arms it are nuts 26. Carried by each bolt 24 and disposed between the arms !3 and I5 is an expansive coil spring 21.

The provision of a plurality of apertures 23 in each arm I3 and a plurality of apertures 25 in each arm It enables the spring carrying bolt 24 to be moved toward or away from the pivot point I? of the depth gauge arm l6 and correspondingly vary the leverage exerted by the depth gauge arms I6 that carry the wheels I8. The nuts 26 provide means for varying the tension of the springs 21,

Under normal conditions and with the depth gauge wheels l8 traveling over fairly level ground, the depth gauge arms l6 occupy positions so as to act through the compression springs 27 to cause the leveling blade to cut into the ground and scrape at a pre-determined depth.

In the event that the depth gauge wheels i8 enter a recess or depression in the surface of the ground, the depth gauge arms will be swung on their pivots H, with the tension springs l9 pulling downwardly on the rear portions of said arms, with the result that the forward ends of said arms will move upward, thereby elevating and the scraper blade [5, with the result that the loose dirt in front of said scraper blade will be deposited into the recess or depression.

In the event. that the depth gauge wheels I8 pass over a high spot or slight elevation on the surface of the ground, the wheels I8 will be correspondingly elevated, which swings the forward ends of the arms I6 downwardly and the springs 21 exert downward pressure upon the blade carrying arms I 3, thereby causing blade l5 tocut deeper into the ground and particularly the elevated portion thereof, and the dirt thus cut by the scraper will be pushed for wardly until another recess or depression is encountered.

An especially desirable feature of my improved leveling machine is that where the ma chine is traveling over ground that is' comparatively level and with the blade cutting at a set depth, slight vertical movement of the depth gauge wheels occurs from time to time,.and although this vertical movement is slight it is transmitted to the leveling blade I 5. so as to slightly elevate the latter, thereby preventing loose dirt from packing in front of the leveling bladeandalso' permitting small pieces of trash and weeds to be' released when lcaught directly beneath the cutting edge of the blade.

Thus it will be s'eenthat I have provided a land leveling machine that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, and very effective in performing the functions for which it is inte'ndedl It will be understood that minor changes in the "size, form 'and'constructionof the various parts ofmy improved land leveling machine, maybe made and substituted forthose herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is 'set forth in the appended claims. I

I claim as my invention:

1. In a land leveling machine, a wheel supported frame, arms hinged at their forward ends to the forward portion of said frame, a scraping blade carried by the rear portions of said arms, depth gaugearms pivoted on the frame above said first mentioned arms and the blade carried thereby, wheels mounted on the rear portions of the arms that are pivoted on the frame, retractile springs between said blade and the rear portions of said depth gauge arms and compression springs arranged between the forward portions of said depth gauge arms and the rear portions of the blade carrying arms.

2. A land leveling machine as set forth in claim 1, with means for adjusting the tension of the springs between the blade and depth gauge arms.

3. A land leveling machine as set forth in claim 1 and said compression springs being adjustable longitudinally of said depth gauge arms and said blade carrying arms.

4. In a land leveling machine, a wheel supported frame, arms hinged at their forward ends to the forward portion of said frame, an earth leveling blade carried by the rear ends of said arms and means including depth gauge arms pivoted on said frame, wheels carried by the rear ends of said depth gauge arms and adjustable resilient connections between said depth gauge arms, said blade carrying arms and said blade, for controlling. the action of said blade carrying arms and the operation of the blade carried by said arms.

5. A land leveling machine as set forth in claim 4 and with adjustable means for regulating the leverage exerted by said depth gauge arms on the blade carrying arms and blade carried thereby.

ROBERT BOWLIN. 

